Formula E in Rome: Heat Battle with Horror Crash

Jaguar and Porsche, along with their "customer teams" Envision Racing (Jaguar) and Avalanche Andretti, are still battling for the title. A bitter pill for the manufacturers: Currently, the customer teams are doing more with the material than the manufacturers themselves.

The two races in Rome not only saw high temperatures but, according to Hankook Director of Motorsport Manfred Sandbichler, also encountered no fewer than five different surfaces. Sandbichler explains:

"The Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR in Rome combined elements from all previous tracks of Season 9. Five different types of asphalt and various surface colors consistently resulted in changing grip levels on the course. Inclines and declines, along with banking on about half of the track and the tight 90-degree corners that required strong braking, demanded everything from our Hankook iON Race."

Sandbichler was relieved that none of the drivers involved in the severe crash during Saturday's race were injured. The race began well: Both Jaguar drivers - pole-sitter Mitch Evans and Sam Bird - got off to a good start, with Bird immediately overtaking Evans in turn 1. Everyone behind them also tried to make good positions immediately: Mortara daringly squeezed past Sebastien Buemi but slightly touched the barrier, causing all the drivers behind to stack up. Especially frustrating for Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein: He was pushed down the order and had to pit with a damaged front wing, costing him valuable time in the title fight.

Massive crash – miraculously, there were no severe injuries

Soon after, the first crash occurred on Rome's relatively "hilly terrain." Andre Lotterer touched the right wall during the fast uphill section, massively crumpling his Andretti, but he was able to get out by himself. However, this incident was just a prelude to one of the worst accidents in Formula E history: A few laps later, Sam Bird also lost control of his car during the fast uphill section, hit the right barrier, spun, and came to a stop on the left side of the track. While his immediate followers quickly avoided him, Sebastien Buemi crashed full-force into the Jaguar, catapulting it into the middle of the track. The following drivers, in trying to avoid the Jaguar, had the choice of hitting either the car or the wall, until Mortara arrived and crashed full-force into the side of the Jaguar. Luckily, all drivers were able to exit their cars without major injuries, despite the track being covered with debris. The massive crash led to the elimination of eight drivers: Bird, Buemi, Felix da Costa, Mortara, Lucas di Grassi, and Robin Frijns. The race was halted with red flags, and all drivers had to return to the pits, some to repair their damaged cars.

The interruption lasted 42 minutes before 13 drivers restarted – with Fenestraz at the front. Next were Evans, Rast, Dennis, Cassidy, Günther, Ticktum, Müller, Sette Camara, Merhi, Vergne, Wehrlein, and finally Vandoorne. Fenestraz got off well at the restart, defending the inside line against Evans, who backed off and chose not to take any risks.

After lengthy battles, three of the four title contenders were in the top three positions towards the end of the race. Only Wehrlein couldn't get going and finished no higher than eleventh.

Dennis' drama: The race was extended by two laps instead of just one!

At the front, Dennis and Evans were fighting for the win. Evans then used the uphill section to get past Dennis and regain the lead. Dennis' drama: The race director extended the race by two laps due to another safety car phase – but Avalanche Andretti had apparently only expected one additional lap, forcing Dennis to significantly cut back on power to make it to the finish – he had to let his main rivals pass without a fight and switch to damage control himself.

At the front, Evans, Cassidy, and Günther led, Dennis managed to hold on to fourth place and slowly regained the energy level of the leaders. From behind, Vergne attempted another attack, but Dennis was able to bring fourth place to the finish. Evans secured his third consecutive victory in Rome at the front, followed by Cassidy, who reclaimed the championship lead from Dennis.

What does that mean?

Emotionally, third place on the podium was significant for Max Günther: For Maserati, Rome was essentially a "home game." A positive side effect of the pile-up: Abt Cupra achieved their best result with Müller in sixth place behind Vergne.